nichelle nichols Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm still holding out for the surprise announcement that William Shatner will indeed appear in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. In the meantime, though, I expect to hear another complaint from the original Captain Kirk after reading this juicy bit of goodness: George Takei has a cameo in the upcoming movie*, which will be a prequel-ish reboot of the TV and movie franchise. According to a Starburst magazine interview with the actor, Takei will feature in a flash-forward scene that will also showcase original Spock, Leonard Nimoy. From the sound of it, he will be returning to his iconic role as an older version of Sulu. Best guess is that Takei and Nimoy will be sitting in futuristic rocking chairs reminiscing about their beginnings at the Starfleet Academy, and this scene will be the prologue to the rest of the movie. Playing the younger versions of Sulu and Spock throughout the rest of the film are John Cho and Zachary Quinto, respectively.

Well, if Shatner doesn't put up more of a fuss, the fans should. After all, as long as we're getting two of the surviving original cast members, why can't we get the rest? Sure, it would be a sad scene, considering DeForest Kelley (Bones) and James Doohan (Scotty) aren't around to be a part of such a reunion, but the Trekkies would certainly appreciate seeing Nichelle Nichols (Uhuru), Walter Koenig and of course Shatner together again. Am I right? They could all have a few laughs while yelling at the kids to get off their damn lawns. And we could all feel better about having to accept all new actors as these beloved characters. So, who is going to start the online petition? Oh wait, that's already been done.

*UPDATE: Apparently this is just another rumor, one that has been debunked. According to TrekMovie.com, Takei will not have a cameo in the new Star Trek.

I'm going to be real honest with you here, because it's late and the PG-13 side of me is itching to break loose. The only thing I remember about Haven (aside from some nice blue water) was Zoe Saldana. And, technically, I'm not talking about her performance. Should she eat more? Sure, but aren't most Hollywood actresses flirting with an eating disorder at one point throughout their career? Zoe's cute, she looks good, and she's also about to co-star in one of the most talked-about films in the month of July -- Star Trek XI: The Flashback Episode. (That was a joke; not the real title -- in case you thought about IM'ing your Trekkie group.)

Saldana will be playing Uhura, "which means freedom in Swahili" (thanks Variety!), and acts as a member of the bridge crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise. Variety adds that the character also rose to the rank of commander. Saldana takes over for Nichelle Nichols, who played the character on the original Star Trek series, as well as in six Star Trek films. Star Trek XI will follow the Enterprise crew during those oh-so-important wonder years, back when the gang first met and, presumably, took on their first mission -- which (and don't tell ANYONE I told you this) apparently has to do with Kirk and Spock being placed in charge of finding out exactly what J.J. Abrams is calling his damn monster movie. Interesting ... and I like the cross promotion. Heroes star Zachary Quinto and Anton Yelchin have already signed on to play Spock and Chekov respectively, while the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has also hopped onboard to play something (I like the Enterprise janitor, but I'm not writing the thing). Star Trek XI will arrive in theaters on December 25, 2008.